I guess this is the right place for this piece.
It really amazes as to how much of the pilot/co-pilot/flight engineer's work load has been taken over by stupendous electronics like FMS/FCS. This with the advancement in flight deck technology has made the flight deck uncluttered and so well laid out with aesthetics and all ergonomics taken care of. Spice it up with Synthetic Vision and HUDs. You can notice the wide difference when u notice with a comparitive eye, the cockpits of the yet to be made public the 787 and lets say.....the concorde.The cockpit seems to be drifting towards a more comfort and cozy zone. At this point we start to wonder...at least i do.......is there something that the pilots crib for even now? Do the pilots still have some pain points which have not been taken care of? Are they asking for more when it comes to betterment of the flight deck technology.....or the aerospace technology in general? On a broader note...what would Boeing and Airbus look for if they design an airplane in the future (maybe their next one)? Where are we on a scale of 10..if we want to evaluate parameters depicting the maturity of the aerospace technology?
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Good questions...I'll take a stab at the driver for the next narrow body airplane development program and its relation to the maturity of the aerospace technology in general...
The main driver for the next single aisle airplane development is an improvement of 15-20% in fuel efficiency over latest 737 models. Reaching this goal is a tall order and requires combined engineering efforts in aerodynamics, composite structures, propulsion technology, and avionics.
Clearly propulsion technology is at the core of this challenge.
And here is where some say that there is little left in gas turbine technology to allow for such improvements...To achieve 20% improvement in fuel consumption, the new turbofan engine would have to go to dramatically higher pressure ratios at the compressor stage. Based on GE studies, the pressure ratio needed is estimated at 70:1 when the high-pressure turbine is added in.
In a classic turbofan configuration - favored by both GE and RR - that can be achieved by modifying the compressor blades profile and gasodynamics. This in turn will drive much higher temperatures in the core and require improved cooling techniques and/or new alloys, etc.
P&W, however, is pursuing the ultra-high pressure ratio by introducing a mechanical gear in the so called Geared Turbofan (GTF) solution. Open rotor technology is another option being explored.
The answer to the powerplant challenge will surely be pacing the timing of the next narrow body program launch...
MG
Thanks for sharing your experiences here on your blog --- I enjoyed this post, and I'm looking forward to more.
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